


A Whispered Lullaby

by DitaVonChaos



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 12:03:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2692274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DitaVonChaos/pseuds/DitaVonChaos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zane and Ty end up in a little lovers' quarrel when their son gets hurt. An uneasy tension fills the air around both men for the rest of the evening as Ty keeps Hunter to himself and Zane is left trying to find anything to do to keep his hands busy and from blowing up at Ty. The evening ends in a quiet, peaceful way that leaves both men's hearts aflutter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Whispered Lullaby

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this is my first official foray into writing any fic revolving around the Cut and Run series. 
> 
> I was hit with a writing prompt, of Zane watching and hearing Ty singing to their son. That was it. Simple, succinct, nothing too incredibly difficult. What came from that, however, is what you're about to read (hopefully).

Writing prompt: Zane watching Ty and their son Hunter Adam from the doorway while Ty is singing the boy to sleep.

He had been on his back on his makeshift mechanic’s seat when he heard Hunter’s cries. Within seconds, the sound of Zane’s voice carried to him, comforting Hunter as best he could, but it did not matter. Ty’s heart had already leapt into his throat and he had pushed himself out from under the Shelby Mustang that called their garage home.

“What happened?”

Wiping his greasy hands off on the red rag he had pulled from his back pocket, he took long strides across their small backyard towards the little play area they had set up for Hunter not too long after the adoption process had started. Zane sat in the grass, hugging Hunter to his chest but the boy wanted nothing to do with him, fighting and struggling to get free. The grease-covered rag once again tucked into his back pocket, he crouched down beside his two favorite guys and had to quickly put his arms and hands out to catch Hunter who lunged for him.

“All I did was turn my back on him for one…”

That was enough. Ty’s eyes went from concerned to blatant anger in half a second and he bristled at the idea that his husband could be so careless with their son.

“What the hell do you mean you took your eyes off him? He’s a baby, Zane. You should know better than that!”

Ty was oblivious to the look that came over Zane with that small tirade that issued forth. Zane had been busy trying to keep a small garden snake from slithering its way into Hunter’s sandbox, where the little boy had been playing just minutes ago. Zane was unclear on what happened, but he had heard a small thud sound and turned around to find Hunter collapsed on top of one of his Tonka trucks, crying and holding his tiny knee in pain. Zane’s heart had nearly jumped out of his chest at the sight and he had immediately forgotten the snake and rushed to Hunter’s side to hold him and soothe him as best he could. Of course, that was right when Ty had shown up and decided that Zane had apparently been negligent in his parental duties.

With Hunter in his arms, Ty turned and left Zane sitting there on his ass, grumbling under his breath the whole time about how his precious son could have gotten seriously injured and Zane was off messing around with God knows what. The back door slammed shut behind him when he carried Hunter inside, leaving Zane to whatever devices he could manage. At the moment, Ty could not find it in himself to care.

Moments later, he heard the click of the door and the heavy footfalls of Zane as he crossed the kitchen floor From where he sat on the couch with Hunter, he could see the shadow of the man before Zane came around the corner. He was still fuming and almost dreaded to hear his husband try and come up with some sort of excuse for ignoring Hunter for even a second.

As soon as Zane saw Ty and Hunter on the couch, the steam he had managed to gather outside, convincing himself he could convince Ty of what happened, just seemed to drain away into the ether. He stood there, in the doorway, the air of defeat around him. He knew, deep down, that Ty was just scared of what could have happened to Hunter, that the man was not seeing things clearly just yet. Still, it hurt to know that Ty would assume the worst of him. It fucking hurt.

Opening his mouth to speak, he hesitated. What was the point in trying to give an excuse, because, ultimately, that was exactly what he was about to do. Instead, Zane swallowed the bitter pill of the truth that would only cause further argument and let Ty think what he wanted, for now.

“I know I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off of him. Even for a second. I’m sorry.”

Apologizing for trying to protect his son seemed like the biggest waste of breath in his life. Even worse, Ty seemingly ignored him, barely even showing any signs that he had heard Zane’s words. Unwilling to accept defeat, however, Zane turned and walked back into the kitchen, a sink full of dishes and a counter filled with the remnants of a breakfast-making tornado to be cleaned up. That was at least one thing Ty had lightened up on, his obsessive need to keep an immaculately spot-free kitchen.

 

It was impossible for Ty to have missed the look on Zane’s face. He remembered the days when the man’s emotions were unreadable, when the man could close down and shut him out in less than the time it took to blink an eye. Now, lately, the emotions were on Zane’s sleeves and the hurt that Ty had seen in that one moment, before his husband had turned away, had been like a knife stabbed straight through his heart. Lifting Hunter up, his hands circling his son’s small chest easily, he stared his son in the eyes and let out a long sigh.

“Daddy’s being an ass to Da-Da, isn’t he?”

The tiny laugh that bubbled up out of Hunter definitely did not serve as an answer, but Ty took it that way. Nodding his head, he scooted forward on the couch so he could stand up, shifting his hold on Hunter so he could cradle the boy against his chest. Stepping around the coffee table, he crossed the room to the stairs and started to climb them. If Hunter was not in his arms, he probably would have gone straight to the kitchen to investigate what was going on in there with Zane. It was one of the burdens of parenthood he actually welcomed, an excuse to not have to go do that right away. He could take his time, something that he had never done before, and look at the situation from every angle, a trick he had picked up from Zane, no less.

“Come on. I’ll give you a bath and then we can figure out what to do, okay? Okay.”

He grinned as Hunter reached up and grabbed hold of his nose, babbling nonsense that he had yet to even figure out how to fake a response to. That was Zane’s forte, not his. It was one of the many, many reasons he had come to realize as to why the two of them worked so well together.

 

Zane stood in the kitchen, the sounds of Hunter’s incoherent babbling and Ty’s soft voice carrying down to him from the stairs. Sometimes, Hunter was the only thing that gave away where that man was considering he moved like a ghost. It was a quirk Zane had grown to love, to expect, to need. It was a constant, that no matter what, was always there. Except, right then and there, he craved for that silence to be followed by Ty’s arms around his waist and the press of his husband’s lips against the side of his neck.

No such luck, though. Instead, he stood at the sink by himself, dutifully washing plates and silverware, bottles, and those annoying little nipples that Ty always left for him to take care of. It seemed his knack for details made Ty think that cleaning these little rubber pieces of fake female anatomy was Zane’s specialty. He chuckled  under his breath, a hint of a smile pulling at his lips while he thought about that. There were things that Ty did that still pissed him off to no end, but those were far outweighed by the many things the man did that could still sweep Zane off his feet.

The sound of water running in the pipes hidden within the walls was the only sound filling the kitchen other than the dishes clanking against each other as Zane finished washing them. Rinsing everything off, he took the time to dry them, pulling a clean dish towel from the bottom drawer next to the stove. His mind spun and spun, going over the events that shattered the fun atmosphere of the afternoon, trying to see if there was something else he could have done, or should have done. No matter how he looked at it, he had done the right thing by getting that snake away from Hunter. He knew it. He just needed, for his own sake, to convince Ty of that. Zane knew he would never be able to live with it if Ty thought he had neglected their son for nothing.

Zane’s vision had blurred, his internal debate with himself taking precedence over everything else. It was only the sudden movement out where he and Hunter had been a short while ago that caught his attention and forced him to focus on something other than his own melancholy. That damn snake was back. He could see it slithering its way over several of the larger yard toys, coiling around the wheel of the Tonka truck that Hunter had fallen on and hurt his knee.

“Son of a bitch…”

He set the plate he had been drying into the dish rack beside the sink and tossed the damp dish towel on the counter. Zane spun around on the balls of his feet and strode towards the back door of the rowhouse, shoving it open as the anger of the situation boiled to the surface once again. That little bastard had destroyed his day and he would be damned if the thing would get off scott-free. The heels of his boots scraped along the small patio as he made his way out there, the snake not moving quite yet. Zane rounded the play area, his eyes locked on his target as he tried to make sure to stay out of its range for as long as possible. Everything he knew about the creatures told Zane the snake was a copperhead. Poisonous, possibly lethal to a child Hunter’s size. His heart raced, adrenaline surging as he prepared himself to take care of the snake.

Swallowing, his throat suddenly dry and painful, he hesitated for a moment. The snake coiled just beside the toy truck, its head coming around so it could stare down Zane. He knew he was losing his element of surprise and lunged forward, his boot coming down on the top of the snake’s head just as it started to dart towards him. He almost rolled his ankle with the sudden impact and the movement of the snake that translated up through his boot into his foot and leg. Before his adrenaline could burn off, Zane bent down and carefully picked up the snake, his fingers wrapping tightly around its head just a finger’s width behind the point where the body ended.

“You. You snakeskin wallet wannabe, you fucked up my day. Now, I’m going to fuck up yours.”

Years spent growing up in Texas taught Zane how to handle a snake no one wanted in their yard. He slipped the knife he always carried out and flipped it open with a practiced flick of his wrist. Pressing the point of the blade into the snake’s throat, just under his thumb, he sliced the long body open, fighting the wriggling, writhing fight the snake tried to put up.

“Not this time, buddy. You’re mine.”

Upstairs, watching from the window of Hunter’s room, Ty watched Zane with rapt interest. He had just been looking outside with a passing glance when he had seen the man walking across the yard, purpose evident in every measured movement of that body he knew by heart. He never saw the snake, not until Zane had hoisted it up and pulled his knife out to slit it open. Hunter sat on the floor at Ty’s feet, quietly chewing on his fist while Ty was supposed to be grabbing a clean pajama set. Ty glanced down at his son, shock and awe written all over his features. He really had been an ass to Zane.

“Hunter, remind Daddy that he owes Da-Da a huge, big, ginormous apology when we see him again.”

Hunter looked up at Ty, smiling a child’s smile of complete innocence and ignorance of anything going on beyond his immediate vicinity. Ty took strength from that look, even if it had nothing to do with anything suddenly weighing on his shoulders. He reached into the open dresser drawer, momentarily forgotten while Ty spied on Zane, and pulled out Hunter’s favorite pair of Superman pajamas and draped them over his shoulder. Sliding the drawer closed, he scooped Hunter up and turned to take him into the bathroom for his nighttime bath.

 

When he had finished taking his anger out on the snake, Zane tossed the remains of it over the fence into the small wooded area that spread out back from the fence. While he was there, he found his pack of cigarettes he kept hidden behind a loose brick in the fence and pulled one out. The lighter, a zippo that he picked up somewhere along one of their travels, was there and he grabbed it, too. It had been at least a year since his last smoke, a constant battle to to control the craving for nicotine.

Zane brought the cigarette up to his nose, inhaling the scent of it like he so often watched Ty do with his Cuban cigars, finding far less enjoyment from the cigarette than he ever saw Ty get from his contraband. Letting out a long breath, he tucked the cigarette back into the pack and replaced it in the fence, with the lighter tucked away with it, and put the brick back in place. His hand rested on the cool brick, gradually warming it with his body heat as he fought his need. He was better than this, resorting to old addictions just because he and Ty had managed to have an off day.

It was definitely not the first day they had an argument come between them and he was pretty damn certain it would not be the last, either. One of the many things he and Ty did well together was fight. But, the making up part usually helped out with that. Chuckling to himself, Zane turned away from the fence, its promise of oblivion inside a rolled up piece of white paper now safely hidden away, and walked across the yard to head back into the house.

Inside, he could hear the sounds of Ty and Hunter upstairs in the bathroom, the telltale splashing and laughing that always seemed to take place when those two were together making Zane’s chest tighten as emotions surged inside him. He knew, regardless of their fighting and arguing, that he and Ty were good together, that he needed Ty just as much as the man needed him. It was evident in nearly everything they did, whether it was together or separately. Figuring he would give his favorite men a little more time, Zane went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up, feeling somewhat more at ease, the weight of his and Ty’s argument slowly ebbing.

Ty had Hunter in the bath, soap suds everywhere, but mostly in the boy’s hair. It was great because Ty could get Hunter’s hair to stand up in the best mohawks that the boy loved to see in the shaving mirror that he inevitably had to fish out of the medicine cabinet. Ty heard Zane come in from outside and whispered to Hunter that they needed to finish up the bath. Reaching for the cup to start rinsing the soap from Hunter’s hair, he sputtered when his son splashed the water right back at him, soaking his shirt and most of the floor around him.

“That has to be something you learned from Uncle Kelly or Uncle Digger.”

He smirked, pride evident in every fiber of his body as he watched Hunter get cleaned off. Independence running rampant in the boy, Ty sat back on his knees ready to help as he watched Hunter rinse his own hair. Reaching for a towel, Ty wrapped it around Hunter when all the soap was gone and pulled the plug to start draining the water out of the tub.

“That’s daddy’s boy. Just promise me I don’t have to teach you to shave any time soon, and I’ll be okay.”

He laughed under his breath, cradling Hunter to his chest as he turned and left the bathroom, Ty carried his son across the hall into his bedroom again. Picking up the Superman pajamas he had left on the corner of Hunter’s bed, he sat down and started to help the boy dress. The smile never left his face as he listened to Hunter start to babble, assuming it was his son’s way of telling him all about his day. Damn, he really wished he had Zane here at the moment, the three of them ending their day together. That was how it should be... should always be.

Downstairs, Zane finished cleaning up, putting the last of the dishes away and hanging up the dish towels to dry before flipping off all the lights in the kitchen and leaving the room. He slowly meandered through the first floor, locking up and making sure his home with Ty, with his family, was safe and secure. Reaching the stairs, Zane started to climb up, his heart skipping a beat and fluttering when he heard a familiar sound, one he had not heard in quite some time.

Ty sat on the edge of Hunter’s bed, tucking his son in under the covers as he started to hum some song he had no recollection of the last time he had heard. His voice quiet and soft, the lyrics slowly came back to him as he let the melody carry him away, the words floating in the air between him and his son. Hunter lay there, a sleepy smile on his face as he stared up at Ty, making Ty’s heart melt into a huge puddle of goo that Zane was going to have to eventually come clean up. Catching Hunter looking towards the door, he turned to catch the most incredible sight he had ever seen.

Zane stood in the doorway of his son’s room, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest. A lazy smile curved his lips as he watched the scene before him. His husband. His son. The thought of it made his heart swell and he realized then that he would probably always forgive Ty anything if it ended up like this. Well, maybe not like this because Zane still had a little frustration to take out on Ty later. Regardless of that, Zane was incredibly happy and content with what he had before him. He never once thought that this could be his life.

Even with Becky there just had never been this level of love and family. There had never been this amount of insatiable need for anything. They had been best of friends and she had definitely given him what he needed most at the time. But, now, he had Ty. There was no getting better than this.

Zane listened to Ty half-sing and half-hum his song, not entering the room but gesturing for him to go on. The look in his eyes said he would wait. And, he would… did.

When Ty had Hunter calmed down, eyes closed and he could feel his son’s breathing evening out, he carefully climbed off the bed without jostling the boy awake again. The song still melted from between his lips as he ghosted over the floor to stand in front of Zane, reaching up to brush the backs of his knuckles along his husband’s cheek. It was a simple, light touch that spoke of nothing romantic, nothing more than just needing that physical contact in that moment.

“Sorry for earlier, baby.”

When Zane stayed quiet, Ty wondered for a heartbeat if his lover was still pissed off at him. The man had the uncanny ability to hide his emotions, even now, from Ty’s eyes, hiding behind an unreadable mask or a smile since Hunter had come into their lives. Uncurling his fingers, he cupped Zane’s cheek in his hand, his thumb sweeping over the man’s lower lip. Ty’s eyes followed his own thumb’s movement, licking his lips in response when he caught sight of Zane’s tongue peek out from that mouth he had kissed so many countless times.

“I didn’t even really give you a chance to tell me about the snake. Maybe we could go to bed and you could tell me all about it.”

At that, Zane knew Ty had seen him. He was a little embarrassed but he could not deny the warm feeling it sent through him at the thought that this man before him, his husband and best friend, had been watching. There were times when Zane forgot that Ty had a romantic streak, always hiding it behind a gruff exterior that kept  the world in general at bay. Strange, he thought. Ty could still make him feel like he was the only person on the planet by doing the simplest of things, or making the most innocuous of comments.

The way Ty was currently looking at him, Zane’s heart began to race for wholly different reasons than it had been before. He knew that look in his husband’s eyes, that devilish lick of his lips that meant that Zane would more than likely be receiving some of the hottest makeup sex he could hope for.

“If you sing for me, I’ll let you wear the Stetson.”

Zane winked at Ty, reaching for his hand to pull him from Hunter’s room, closing the door behind them. Walking hand in hand towards their own bedroom, the sound of Ty just humming behind him was already making it difficult to breathe.


End file.
